The present invention relates generally to communications systems, and specifically to systems and methods for providing telephone call management services that include Internet capability, permitting the subscriber to be alerted about calls or respond personally to calls over the Internet.
Call management applications provide subscribers with options for handling incoming telephone calls, such as forwarding a call to another number, or to voicemail. These options may be exercised in response to a command sent by the subscriber on receipt of the call. The call management system may provide the subscriber with information about the caller, such as the callers""s name or calling line identification (CLID), and the subscriber may select an option for handling the call based upon this information. Alternatively, various options may be exercised automatically by the call management system based upon information about the incoming call, for example the callers""s CLID or the date or time of day of the call. Options may also be exercised by the call management system if the subscriber does not pick up the call, or indicates that he is busy.
Some call management applications include Internet call management capabilities, permitting the call management system to communicate with a subscriber""s computer via the Internet. A subscriber""s computer is any device that includes a central processing unit (CPU) connected to a memory and a network connection, with a display user interface. An exemplary user interface for a prior art Internet call management system is shown in FIG. 1. The subscriber""s computer display xe2x80x9cdesktopxe2x80x9d 100 includes a call manager window 101, with notification of an incoming call 101a and a list of options for handling the call 101b. 
The steps used by a prior art Internet call management system to handle an incoming call are shown in FIG. 2. Initially, a call to the subscriber is directed to the callers""s telephone or other communication device, such as a mobile wireless handset (200). If the caller is available to answer the call (201) and answers the call (202), then no further action is required. However, if the called number is busy, or the subscriber does not answer the call (201-No), the call is redirected to a call management system (203). At this point in the call flow, if the subscriber is accessible via the Internet he (or she) can receive notification 101a of the call (205), including CLID information, at the subscriber""s computer or other suitable device. The notification message is typically sent via a data channel over the Internet. In response, the subscriber can select (206) a preset call handling option, such as transfer to voicemail, for handling the call. Another subscriber selectable option may be to have the system deliver (i.e., in the form of speech) one of a small number of pre-recorded generic messages to the caller. If the user selects one of the presented options within a predetermined period of time, the system handles the call according the user selected option (208), and otherwise performs a default action (207), such as directing the call to voicemail. In FIG. 1, the highlighted selections indicate that the user has chosen to respond with a pre-recorded message, and has selected a pre-recorded message indicating that he will return the call.
There are certain limitations to the prior art Internet call management approach. The caller is handled in a generic and impersonal way, by either being forwarded to another number or to voicemail without any personal acknowledgment of the call, or by playing a pre-recorded, generic message. The caller cannot be contacted by the subscriber and given a personal message without requiring the subscriber to actually take the call. It is therefore desirable to provide an Internet call management system that allows the subscriber to give the caller a personal response in real time without direct, duplex communication between the subscriber and the caller.
In summary, the present invention is a system and method for alerting a subscriber to incoming calls by sending a message to the subscriber""s computer via a data channel, and permitting the subscriber to respond with a personal message transmitted to the call management system from the subscriber""s computer via a data channel. The system then forwards the message, which may be translated from text to speech, to the caller via a voice channel. Before the personal message is forwarded to the caller, the call management system may request the caller, in a personal notification message, using the callers""s name, to wait for a personal message from the subscriber.